The Prodigal Son
by Admiral Floof
Summary: (Following the events seen in Harbingers-Gul'dan) Gul'dan ventures once more into the wastes in search of the last thing which ties his life to the past. With hellbent ambition to wipe this trace from the face of Draenor, the young warlock will begin to forge his dark legacy.
1. The Wagon

In the time that followed the swift annihilated of Gul'dan's birthplace, the first warlock took to the wastes which had nearly been his end months earlier. With newfound power he was left never wanting, for he could sustain himself on much less than the average person. As he made his way into the wastes, a burning and zealous vendetta began to brew within the young orc. With those who had mocked and ridiculed him now turned to ash, Gul'dan was left with a single enemy… **_his own father_**.

While Gul'dan's father was a figure he had no recollection of, he knew more than well what kind of orc his father was. _Brutish. Crude. **Negligent**_. Yet the greatest sin of all was the abandonment of his own mate and child.

Gul'dan had a lead, _and a vague one at that_. He was able to pry up a bit of information from one of his _people_ before blasting them into oblivion. Thanks to this lone clue, Gul'dan had narrowed his search down to an area that lay on the eastern border of the wastes. ** _A long journey_** _… yet vengeance demanded it._

A straight yet seemingly endless march followed for Gul'dan, his only companion being his own seething hatred for the orc who had abandoned him. Though this isolation, one which would crush many, was not to last unending…

One day Gul'dan heard a voice echo across the wastes.

 **" _KEEP UP, BEAST!_ A load of five warrants the work of five!"**

 _It was no orc. That or an incredibly large one_. Regardless of what it was, Gul'dan soon saw the figure silhouetted ahead of him in the distance. Waves of rippling heat made it impossible to clearly see what was going on or who this thing was talking too.

While the lone warlock would've likely ignored it any other day, the figure was directly in his path. What little curiosity brewed within Gul'dan was justified by necessity. He would keep moving forward until at last a meeting would occur.

As he drew ever nearer, Gul'dan was slowly able to make out what he was looking at. It was an ogre, and an incredibly large one at that. Almost wide as he was tall, this titanic brute ranted on and on to his _beast_.

The ogre's beast was far from imposing though because it was simply a young orc, likely no older than 15. This orc was pulling along a loaded down wagon all by himself, _a job obviously intended for more than one_. This wagon was filled to the brim with dedicate oddities, pleasures, and provisions, _classic possessions of a vain ogre_. All the while as they advanced, the ogre would yank at the orc's chain and bellow out critique.

As his relentless lashes of spoken word continued, the ogre was so focused on yelling to the _beast_ behind him that he did not see the _beast_ ahead until it was too late. Turning around only to recoil in panicked surprise, the ogre bellowed out a yelp before snarling and leaning in towards Gul'dan, who now stood right before him.

 **" _WHO_ are you!?"**

 _"An orc lost the wastes…"_

Out from under his tattered hood, Gul'dan let his gaze slowly drift to the overworked orc who was _hitched_ to the wagon.

 _"Who's he?"_

" ** _HE? THAT_** is my property! And **_it_** is on **_its_** first march through the wastes. _One of your wretched kin from the eastern reaches…_ "

Gul'dan looked up to the ogre now, nodding some.

 _"There is only one… Surly a lord of your stature could afford more."_

" ** _HMPH_**. _You are perceptive for an orc_ … I had **_FIVE_** when I set out. _They were weak…_ **so is this one.** "

 _"Obviously… And what will you do when he dies?"_

 ** _"Come again?"_**

 _"Surly you don't expect an ogre such as yourself to pull his own wagon?"_

 **This struck a cord in the ogre** , it showed in a twinge that passed over his features. He was now truly listening now to what Gul'dan had to say either out of annoyance or true intrigue.

 ** _"Who's to say it won't last the trip?"_**

 _"His legs. His back. His heart… I'd say he has a week carrying that load."_

Frustration was building in the fatty innards of the ogre, yet before an outburst was able to explode forth, Gul'dan averted it.

 _"That's why I'd offer myself into your ownership."_

 ** _"Excuse me?"_**

 _"As I told you before, I am lost amidst these wastes. I would give anything to leave them… even as a slave."_

A wicked grin began to grow across the ogre's face. When his current orc died, he would have another to take its place. **Excellent**. _Perhaps he'd make this trip after-all._

Even the orc hitched to the wagon, who had kept his gaze to the dusty ground all this time, finally glanced up to see what was happening.

Gul'dan began to kneel down before the ogre now, bowing his head and pressing his bare knees to the ground. This warranted a posh chuckle from the ogre, who flicked out one of his ring-adorned hands, lowering it to Gul'dan.

"A wise decision, creature… **_Come_**. Kiss one of the rings upon your master's hand and I shall free you from these wastes."

The silence of the wastes doubled when the two of them fell silent. One standing, one kneeling. One master, and one slave. With each passing moment of no word or no action, the ogre became increasingly fed up. He shoved his hand towards the kneeling orc further now.

" ** _What are you WAITING for?_** All you must do is k _iss-_ "

Like a striking snake, Gul'dan lunged up at the ogre, grabbing the extended meaty arm and bursting it into a torrent of fel fire. Screaming and wailing in utter horror, the ogre spilled back over himself, panicked and blind to the world around him. Gul'dan followed, leaping up onto the ogre's chest and grasping about his screeching head before igniting it into a green blaze. _The burn was just slow enough for Gul'dan to savor._

 **It was dreadfully quiet after that**. The only sound that remained was the heavy breathing of Gul'dan and the sizzle that came from the dead ogre's charred remains.

The orc hitched to the wagon looked on in awesome horror, jaw hanging agape and eyes wide with bewilderment. This young orc looked on as Gul'dan stooped over to yank off one of the ogre's charred fingers, a finger which had a silver ring upon it.

Gul'dan inspected the ring before slowly letting his gaze drift to the orc who watched. A wave of terror washed over the recently freed slave and it verged on hysteria. Yet the word of Gul'dan would command control.

" _You.._. **I'm looking for someone**. A traitorous orc of self-exile, born and bred within the wastes and now presumed to live among the eastern reaches. A scar stretching over his brow. A brute. An idiot. **_Do you know him?_** "

The torrent of information was a bit much for the poor youth on account this was the first orc he'd seen in weeks. Despite this, he tried his best to answer the dark figure.

 _"I know… I know of a one such orc. Stories… A rumor or two."_

Gul'dan began to advance towards the wagon, pocketing the silver ring and stepping over the ogre's smoldering corpse.

"Take me to him… **_This favor for your freedom_**."

The orc began to nod as swiftly as he could in his exhausted state, more than willing to aid his _savior_. **_No words were needed_**.

Gul'dan walked over to the corpse and scooped up an ashy key before walking back to the wagon and unlocking the harness which locked the orc into position. With a groan of pain, the young orc crashed to the ground, an orchestra of pops came from his back as he was at last freed from the hunched position he had been confined to for _gods_ know how long.

Stooping down to the orc's level, Gul'dan tilted his head and asked a single question.

 _"What do you call yourself?"_

The young orc slowly began to sit himself up, looking to Gul'dan and pressing a weak fist to his own chest.

 **"Teron'gor."**


	2. The Green Campfire

The ogre's wagon had been stocked to bursting point with provisions, _far more than even a brute his sized needed_. Because of this surplus, both orcs took all which they could carry from it including food and water before heading off towards the Eastern Reaches of the wastes.

The two of them covered a fair distance that day despite the fact Teron'gor was still recuperating from boundless neglect. Despite an understandable circumstance, the pace was far slower than the vengeful warlock _and_ leader of this trek desired. Yet Gul'dan, _being clever as he was_ , knew that if he pushed this young and malnourished orc any more he would soon be without a guide to his prize. _So the need to set up camp for the night was a necessary evil_.

When the sun at last set over the wastes, fel fire sprang up from the ground at the command of Gul'dan, with no wood or fuel of any kind needed to keep it lit; _this would be their light for the night_. The faint green glow danced about the rock face in the canyon which Gul'dan and his guide had set up camp in. The terrain had grow far more rocky these past few days, _a sure sign they were nearing the Eastern Reaches_.

His back against a wall of stone, Teron'gor stared at the green flame, a wariness behind his sunken eyes, yet the expression was far from fearful. His gaunt face tilted up when Gul'dan finally sat himself down on the other side of the fire. After a gravely sigh, Gul'dan spoke plainly.

" _So, Teron'gor_ … After your aid is justly given will you be on your way back to your people?"

Teron'gor had not been expecting small-talk, in fact it was something that had not happened at all this previous day. The only talk that had been had was inquiry about the magic which Gul'dan held and to say the answers revealed were vague would be an understatement. Teron'gor's mouth formed words in vain before finally sound with meaning was produced.

" _I._.. I am now without a people… _**I am the last one**_."

Gul'dan had been looking to the fire when Teron'gor responded, giving an unexpected answer. Lifting his chin some, Gul'dan spoke in a quiet voice.

 _"_ _The other four the ogre spoke of…"_

Teron'gor nodded somberly, eyes glancing down from the orc across from him. The ogre which held him and the last of his people was just one of many who had pushed his once proud kin to the brink _and now to extinction._

Shaking his head some and spitting to the side, Teron'gor became bold enough to ask a question of his own.

 _ **"**_ _ **Do you have a people?"**_

The face of Gul'dan rose and fell like a soft wave before a slight smirk tugged at the side of his mouth. The warlock began to wave his hand back and forth through the green flame before him idly.

" _You have one better than myself, Teron'gor_ … _ **I never had a people**_."

Teron'gor looked straight on towards Gul'dan, studying this orc with no people, _one who said he_ ** _never_** _had a people_. He had a thousand and one questions, most of them gargantuan, yet at the end of this day he still didn't even know the name of this dark orc who now sat across from him. Yet before any question could pierce the vale, Gul'dan spoke up again, damming the river of thought.

" _The orc whom I seek_ … **How have you heard of him?** "

Yet another thing said by Gul'dan which took Teron'gor by surprise. _Why did every question ambush him?_ It was difficult to get used to conversation again, yet the young orc was doing well enough.

"He jumped between villages for years. Offering up his labor for food and drink. Folk called him Waste Scar… _A simple orc, as you said_ … About three winters past while passing through a village, I heard his sight had begun to leave him so he settled down in the hills. _**Can't labor when you're nearly blind**_ …"

Gul'dan had been staring intently as Teron'gor spoke, soaking in every word before snapping back to a wider reality of sorts beyond focus. He nodded, giving a slight grunt of affirmation. Pushing up and off the ground, Gul'dan stood himself back up, tattered cloak and clothing flapping in the cool night breeze.

"Come dawn we make for the village you mentioned… I will see if any of them know just where in the hills this _**Waste Scar**_ is."

With that Gul'dan turned and began to walk away, making for a higher vantage point atop a rocky outcropping. As he left, Teron'gor perked up and without thinking called out after Gul'dan.

 _ **"**_ _ **What do you call yourself?"**_

Gul'dan sat down atop the rocks and ignored the question.


	3. The Village

_"_ _I have told my name so why do you not tell your own?",_ Teron'gor inquired as he walked beside his dark savior. In his time with this _stranger,_ the young orc had learned practically no details at all about him. All he knew is that there was an orc that needed to be brought to justice and that it would no doubt be done with this powerful green magic. _**Who was this?**_

Glancing rather indifferently towards Teron'gor, Gul'dan's brow raised and he grunted a response, _"_ ** _What would my name matter to you_** _?"_

 _"_ _What would_ ** _MINE_** _matter to you?"_ , Teron'gor retorted swiftly and perhaps a bit too boldly.

Gul'dan stared at Teron'gor for a moment before his lips began to crack a grin, eventually devolving into a light cackle as he let his head fall back some. This aggravated Teron'gor more than is should have, and the young orc picked up his pace, thudding his feet loudly on the dusty earth below.

 _"_ _Why are you laughing? …_ ** _Why are you laughing?_** _Can I not know your name even after you've saved my life?"_

 _"_ _It's not the question, Teron'gor…_ ** _it's how many you've asked_** _."_

 _"_ _I've asked_ ** _very few_** _questions! There isn't anything you have to hide-"_

Before Teron'gor could get any more brazen, Gul'dan halted his advance completely and turned to the young orc, staring him down and halting his speech. Teron'gor, however hardened or tested he had been in the past, looked like a frightened animal in that brief moment. His eyes went wide and his arms locked half way into a defensive position. The only sound was that of the wind blowing and the tattered fabric of Gul'dan's cloak flapping in the dry air.

The tension of the moment was only broken when Gul'dan finally spoke, his tone suggesting a far less grievous error on Teron'gor's part than expected.

 _"…_ _I have but_ ** _two things_** _and they are_ ** _my name_** _and_ ** _my power_** _. Do you truly expect me to give one up so freely before your end is held up?"_

Gul'dan's gaze hung heavily a while longer before he broke the connection and patted the young orc on the shoulder. Moving forward yet again, Gul'dan left Teron'gor standing there in the dust. While the small dark-skinned orc simply stood there for a moment, he eventually scrambled back after Gul'dan. _He was the guide after all._

Though warier than before, Teron'gor piped up one last question after Gul'dan.

" _This magic you wield, then_ … **what is it**?"

Silence reigned for the longest time as Gul'dan kept forward. He didn't look back to Teron'gor yet in time he did something even more unexpected… _he answered_.

"… **A gift**."

The two orcs traversed the barren and rocky terrain into the mid afternoon, stopping very little and speaking even less. In due time and due labor the village which Teron'gor had spoken of became visible on the horizon. Pointing onward, Teron'gor drew attention to its distant shapes. It was a large yet dug in community that sat at the foot of many hills. These hills wound up towards the sky higher than anything else across the flat landscape before them. The hills also showed signs of greenery and life, a sure sign that the wastes were coming to an end.

A richer and more fertile land lay on the other side of those hills, one which also provided safe harbor for some of the strange race known as _Draenei_. Yet Gul'dan could care less about what lay on the other side of the hills, it was _who_ potentially lived in them that interested the warlock.

A few words were shared between Teron'gor and Gul'dan as they neared the village, mostly information regarding how often Teron'gor had passed through here in the past (it hadn't been often). No orc halted the duo as they neared the village, the community seemed to be used to travelers and outsiders passing through.

 _"_ ** _I will do the talking_** _."_ , Gul'dan muttered to Teron'gor as the two of them entered through the large, open gate of the village. The young orc simply gave a subtle nod in response.

The village had an uncomplicated layout for the most part. The community, while right by the hills, did nothing more than use them as a rear wall. The rest of the village revolved around a large communal area with a series of huts built atop a rock formation. Gul'dan thought it best to look for information there.

Few orcs in the village paid mind to the strangers in their midst, save for some occasional glances. So Gul'dan and Teron'gor and reached the center of the village with relative ease and quickness. Looking over the inhabitants of the area, Gul'dan finally came to rest his gaze upon an older female orc atop a rock, _the village shaman by the looks of it_.

Gul'dan made a swift motion of the hand to Teron'gor, indicating that he keep back. The warlock then made his way toward the shaman atop the rock. Narrowly dodging two children who rushed by, Gul'dan flicked back his hood just as the shaman acknowledged his presence.

 _ **"**_ _ **Throm-ka."**_ , she stated in a gruff voice, nodding to the stranger before her.

 _"_ _Greetings, shaman…_ ** _I come seeking guidance_** _."_ , Gul'dan stated casually as he leaned upon his staff.

Bobbing her shaggy and totem-covered head in acknowledgement, the shaman stretched out a long, thin hand to her side, _"What do you wish to know, traveler?"_

Glancing back to Teron'gor _(who was conversing with the pair of children)_ for a moment before responding, Gul'dan ran a finger along his beard, _"Myself and my companion are searching for an orc, one who is called Waste Scar._ ** _Do you know of him?_** _"_

Perking her brow, the shaman responded, _"_ ** _I do_** _… Much of what you see around you was built by the sweat of his brow back in days past. Why do you ask?"_

Gul'dan choked down the feral desire to demand more information and delivered the calculated and orchestrated _lie_ he had been running through his head for days now, _"Tragedy has befallen a village that once harbored him. I come as the weary bearer of bad news."_

The shaman's features sunk as a brief wave of empathy rushed under the surface. A sigh and a nod said more than words could. Her head hung for a brief moment before rising back up to face Gul'dan, _"_ ** _I am sorry to hear such_** _… Waste Scar is honored in this village. He has earned his place among_ ** _our people_** _time and time again."_

A twitch went down Gul'dan's arm at that word… _**people**_. _**THESE**_ _were his father's new people? He could build structures and fight for this community yet not provide for his own mate and child?_ The implications of it all fueled the embers of Gul'dan's bitterness until it was nothing short of a furnace. The storm that raged beneath the calm features of the warlock ever threatened to burst onto the surface, yet a dedication to vengeance kept such madness bottled up… _for now_.

The next question which Gul'dan asked rolled off his silver tongue with a purpose little seen in such simple questions, _**"And where may I find this honored orc?"**_

Slowly lifting a gnarled finger, the shaman pointed to the hills behind the village, _"He lives in a cave within the hills._ ** _Though you will need a guide_** _. For any who do not know the paths of that place could never find his dwelling. Nar'dok at the rear gate may aid you."_

That was all Gul'dan wished to know. Bowing his head and putting a hand to his chest, the warlock thanked the shaman and made his way over to Teron'gor, who was still conversing with the children. Gul'dan pulled Teron'gor up from the ground in a less than gentle manner and grunted, _ **"Come."**_

Being pulled a bit of the way until he finally got moving in the right direction on his own, Teron'gor waved goodbye to the two children.


End file.
